Self-threading connector for articles



'Marh4, 1947. u J,S,STU. L 2,416,964

n SELF THREADING CONNECTOR FOR ARTICLES F'iied sept.' 18, 1943 Patented Mar. 4, 1947 sE'LF-THREADING CONNECTOR FOR ARTICLES.

John Si Stull, Chicago, Ill.

Application. September 18, 1943, Serial No.. 502,943*

(Cl. 28o-75.)'

44 Claims.

'Ihis invention relates to self threading con# nectors for attachment tov and for supporting and/or holding an article. of generally circular contour or for joining two such, articles,l and more particularly to screw threaded Vconnectors capable of cutting a thread 'in such articles for its thread to. enter'during relative vrotation therebetween in attaching the same..

This invention is particularly applicable in `one embodiment to the connecting of flexible rubber hose lengths.` Diierent typesoi" connectors have been devised for coupling hose, such as male and female screw threadedmembers attached to hose ends at the factory by pressing and -rollingoperations, requiring expensive tools, and which mem-V` to prevent leakage in this. lattertype of con-..

hector, it is alsocostly to, produce and requires considerable skill and expenditure or time to provide va satisfactory coupling without leakage. Furthermore, both of these types of .hoseconnectors, due to their particular construction, providea passage appreciably smaller .than thepassage through the h0se thereby restricting the flow of liquid therethrough. The. inventiomin other embodiments thereof.,v is also applicable vfor connection, individually t0 veither a single hollow,

or .a solid element of circular contour for supporting and/or holding the saine. either from above or for holding and/or supporting` the same. vertically.

An object of this invention is the provision of a simple and practicable. .screw-threaded connectorv capable of readily and quickly cutting a thread in anarticleof generally circularcontour.

for its thread to. enter yduring its. attachment thereto.

. In accordance with the above objects, the presentinvention, in ,one embodiment thereof, may

be appliedto the cpnnecting andv sealingfromleakage of rubber hose lengths. For this use,v vtwo identical Linternally spirallt7 threadedsleeves .are-

provided, ,each flanged at one. end, its .opposite end having acircuinferentially extending slotso arranged and alignedY with .the .thread Ythat the..

Another type of hose con-- entering., @lid of. the .first turn. of.. the' threadgis. 55y

removed, thus producing. a, cutting edge, the. Slot extending outwardly therefrom. 'I he internal.

diameter of the sleeve at its greater dimension is such that the hose end. may freely enter to engage the cutting edge, .the vSleeve, being threaded onto the hose until the annular end face, of the hose end extends asuitable distance outside the flanged end of the sleeve. In Vturning the threaded sleeve into the hose, the cutting edge cuts a thready in the form of a shallow circumferential spiral groove in the surface ofthe hose for its thread to. enter', which serves to securely connect the sleeve .to the hose. to prevent longitudinal displacement therebetween when .in use, thewaste cut rubber being` deflected outwardly through the slot, .due to the shape of the cuttingl edge; To. connect and'seal two hose .ends so. equipped with anged sleeves, the projecting annular faces of the hose ends are abutted and.

by a pair of identical sleeves similary to the sleeves described above.

Other embodiments of the invention may comprise a single sleeve having the features-above described with or without a flange for connection to an article, such as, for-example, a, waxcandle, for verticallyI supporting and holding same, in which case the angemay be shaped to provide a suitable base.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will more fullyv appear from the following detailed description taken in'conjunction with thev accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal'central sectional View, partly in eievation, through adjacent ends of hose lengths coupledk and sealed byconnectors em-` bodyingtfhe features of one embodiment ofthe invention, andy Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical sectional vviews-taken on the lines -2--=2 and :3--3:,- respectively, of Fig. l".

Retefrring to the vdrawing in detail,- -in the :features of the invention inone .embodiment thereof arey shown `as applied tozthe connectingof. flexible fluid conduits having yieldable :outer surface. such. as, for example.. rubber hose. lengths, indicated at lil and! l, having their an.- nular. end races l2. at the two rends of .the hose lengths .to v`be connected out in aplane.lsuhstane.

tially at right angle to the longitudinal axes of the hose lengths. Mounted on the abutting ends of the hose lengths I6 and II are connectors I5, identical in every respect, and although the following description is directed to the connector associated with the hose length IU, it also applies `to the companion connector.

extends without interruption from a short distance inside the flared end I'I to the extreme op- -posite iianged end.l The entering or starting end of the thread I8 adjacent the flared sleeve end I1 is removed by forming-a circumferentially eX- tending elongated slot I9 in the wall of the sleeve, by a milling or other suitable tool, the slot starting at the entering end of the rst turn of the thread and extending a suitable distance outwardly or away therefrom. A cutting edge, indicated at 22, is thus formed which lies in the pathof the annular end face I2 of the hose length IIl .when Athe sleeve I5 is aligned with and rotated onto thehose length. As the sleeve I5 is turned Yand advanced longitudinally onto the hose length I6, the cutting edge 22 positively cuts a shallow thread in the form of a spiral groove 23 in the peripheral surface of the hose for its thread to enter, the depth of the groove being controlled bv the depth of the sleeve thread I8. As clearly shown in Fig. 1. the greatest internal diameter of the sleeve I5 is suitably larger than the diameter of the hose length I so that the Yhose may freely enter therein and it will be readily apparent that the depth of the cut groove 23 will be determined by the particular depth of the sleeve thread I8. The circumferentially extending slot I9 is of such length that it provides an outlet for the wastecut rubber or other material removed in the forming of the groove 23, the waste material. due to the shape of the cut ting'edge V22. being lifted out of the groove andV through the slot I 9 in the form of arcuate shaped lengths of material, as indicated in dotted outline at 24 (Fig. 2), when the connector is turned in the direction of the arrows. The sleeve I is rotated and advanced onto the end of the hose length I Il until the annular end face I2 thereof extends a suitable distance, as indicated at 25 (Fig. l). outside the ange I6. the purpose of which will be described hereinafter. i

As clearly shown in Fig. 3. the Harige I6 of the connector I5 is formed with a pair of diametricallv opposed bayonet slot-s 26 and a pair of diametrically opposed screw-threaded apertures 28, the smaller ends of the bayonet slots and the apertures being spaced 90 degrees apart. Threaded into each of the apertures are screws 29 withvcircular slotted heads 30 having diameters which may freely pass through the larger ends of the bayonet slots 26 of the flange I6 on the companion connector I5, the screw heads being disposed at the outer edge of the flange. The'outer ends of the shanks of the screws 29 are staked, as shown at 3l (Fig. 1) after being' threaded into their apertures 28 so that the screws are always attached to the connector I 5 and, therefore, will not be lost or misplaced. The inner face of the flange I6 surrounding the apertures 28 is embossed, as indicated at 32 (Fig. 1),

to provide greater strength and length to th thread in the Walls of the apertures.v l

In turning the connector I5 onto'the hose length, as previously described, it will be ob.-

vious that the staked screws 29 loosely threaded into the ange I6 of the connector may be usedY Y with advantage along with a screw driver,`to Yfacilitate the turning operation. blade of the screw driveris extended laterally across the connector I5, `and engaged underthe screw heads 30 atv opposite sides of the diametn rically opposed screws 29 to provide suicient r leverage to readily turn the connector onto the hose length. It will be observed that theilange I6 Vis of a minimum diameter, being only sufciently greater than the diameter of the connector sleeve I5 to provide sumcient material for the forming `of the bayonet slots 26.

To couple a set of connectors I5 having the n hose lengths I Il and II attached thereto inthe manner previously described, the connectors are eoaxially aligned with theend faces I2 of the hose lengths in'abutting relation and the screw heads `3i! carried by each connector aligned with the larger ends of the bayonet slots 26 in the com;

panion connector and then passed therethrough,

whereupon, by a relative rotary movementof the connectors, the screws are movedY into the smaller ends of the bayonet slots, as shown inFig. 3.r Thereafter, the screws 29 are tightened to draw the abutting end faces I2 of the hose lengths I 6 and II together under sufficient pressure to slightly expand the abutting hose end facesltoY provide a leakproof seal therebetween, as shown in Fig. 1, and maintaining an unrestricted passage through the combined' hose lengths.V

From the above description, it will be obvious that a simple and practicable Vconnector is, pro-Y vided which, in its attachment to an article of'V generally circular contour, is effective tonpositively cut a thread thereinfor its thread to enter during the attaching operation. In addition to the specific application of the invention above described in detail, it will be apparent that. among other applications. it may be used to con.- nect hollow or solid motion transmitting members of generally circular contour and also be connected to a wax candle for vertically supporting and holding the same. Furthermore, the connector may be applied to any article of generally circular contour having an outer surface capable of being formed in the manner above described during a relative rotation of the connector and article in connecting the same.V

Although in the embodiment illustrated, the

connector is formed with a rolled spiral groove. it

is to be understood that a cut groove may bef formed on the innerv surface of the sleeve, in

which case no groove would appear on its eX- terior surface.

It will be understoedthat the specie@ eminem,l

ment herein described is merely illustrative of the `invention and lone particular :application thereof and that modifications can be madeand having a continuous inner spiral thread beginning at a point inside said flared end, and terminating at a point adjacent saidange, said sleeveV having an aperture in its vwall at the entering Thus, the

end of the first turn of the thread inside of said flared end to provide a cutting edge arranged to cut a spiral groove in the outer surface of said article for the following portion of said thread to enter, thus preventing longitudinal displacement between said sleeve and the article when in use.

2. A coupling for flexible members for transmitting fluid comprising a pair of anged sleeves, said sleeves each being formed interiorly with continuous spiral thread formations and an aperture in its wall at the entering end of the rst turn of the thread at the outer end of the sleeve to provide a cutting edge to receive therein and maintain against relative longitudinal and lateral displacement one end of a member upon re1- ative rotation therebetween in attaching the same, the member having an end face extending slightly outside the outer end face of the flange for abutting a similarly arranged end face of the companion member, said flange faces being operatively spaced apart, and means cooperating with each of the flanges for drawing said end faces of the members together under pressure to provide a positive seal therebetween.

3. A coupling for eXible members of generally circular contour for transmitting fluid comprising a pair of anged sleeves identical in all essentials, said sleeves each being formed interiorly to receive therein one end of a member and having continuous inner spiral thread formations, the entering end of the rst thread formation being removed to provide a cutting edge arranged to cut a spiral groove in the outer surface of the member during relative rotation therebetween in attaching the same to maintain the same against longitudinal displacement, the member having an end face extending slightly outside the outer end face of the ange for abutting a similarly arranged end face of the companion member, said ange faces being operatively spaced apart, and means coperating with each of the anges for drawing said'end faces of the members together under pressure to provide a positive seal therebetween.

4. A coupling for flexible members for transmitting iiuid comprising a pair of anged sleeves identical in all essentials, said sleeves each being formed interiorly with continuous spiral thread formations to receive therein and maintain against relative longitudinal and lateral displacement one end of a member, the member having an end face extending slightly outside the outer end face of the flange for abutting a similarly arranged end face of the companion member, said flangev faces being operatively spaced apart, said anges each having cooperating identically arranged bayonet slots and screw threaded apertures, and headed screws carried in said apertures, said slots adapted to freely receive the screw heads in one position of the anges and upon a relative rotary displacement of said sleeves and the threading of the screws into aligned apertures of the companion flange, the end faces of the members are drawn together under pressure to provide a positive Iseal therebetween.

JOHN S. STULL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,125,570 Ice Aug. 2, 1938 622,313 Woodvine Apr. 4, 1899 561,913 Paquette June 9, 1896 2,152 962 Ice Apr. 4, 1939 1,861,403 Wallace May 31, 1932 158,259 Dulin Dec. 29,1874 2,207,518 Moser July 9, 1940 

